Award No. 17

Award No. 18

Award No. 19

Monday, November 29, 2010

Brrrrrrrrr, it's fecking COLD outside! I'm so over winter already and it's only just begun. Several of you have asked me to send the snow your way and believe me, if I could - I'd do it in a heartbeat! We had several winter weather advisories this past week. This is what it's looking like here:

The rules are to list 10 things about yourself and then tag 15 friends. So here we go ~

1. I don't like to use the same towel twice after a shower without washing it first.

2. I get cold easily and tend to stay that way all winter long.

3. I abhor the color orange but I like oranges and orange juice.

4. I love me some flavored cappuccino.

5. Christmas is my favorite holiday.

6. I volunteer for two separate organizations.

7. A strong vanilla scent makes me nauseous.

8. I want to get a bulldog someday.

9. The college courses I signed up for are Introduction to Sociology, US History, General Psychology and Introduction to Philosophy. I'm on a waiting list for the Sociology and Philosophy classes but the other two I've gotten confirmation for.

10. When I was born, my eyes were blue. Then they turned a dark brown, almost black. And now they're hazel.

I'm supposed to pass this on to 15 other bloggers but I'm sleepy and it's past my bedtime. (I prepared this in advance and am hoping it posts when it's supposed to - blogger sometimes doesn't follow directions.) So I'm gonna take the easy way out and say if you don't have it but want it, by all means - feel free to take it! And if not, that's ok too.

Friday, November 26, 2010

This week went by in the blink of an eye, didn't it? It always does when there's a holiday in the middle. That just means Half Full Friday is upon us that much more quickly! And honestly, who doesn't love Half Full Friday???

Feel free to join in and post your list, then come back and link up! (Please only link up if you've actually participated in Half Full Friday and posted your list. Thanks!) Come on, it'll be fun and there's plenty of room for everyone!

I made some sugar cookies earlier this week! I'm a pig, I ate them all!!!

I got the ink cartridge I ordered for my printer!

We still have a lot of snow but the roads aren't too bad for the most part!

*****

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday! As stated above, mine was spent with my parents and a friend. I kept thinking I should invite a friend over every week (I eat there every Sunday) because my parents were both so much nicer with her there! lol

Thursday, November 25, 2010

I'm a little late in getting this posted tonight since I've been gone all day but I wanted to participate in Minna Krebs' adoption stories and Frankie Furter's presents for parents game so here it is, better late than never.

Shiver's Story

In all honesty, I'm really not sure why I ever got Shiver. I already had an elderly fox terrier and a sickly cat at home, I certainly didn't need a new puppy running around and getting into everything. But that's just what I got.

I'd been thinking for awhile that my next dog would be a chihuahua. I just really wanted a small dog. Four years ago on Thanksgiving weekend, I went to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping. One of my first stops was at the pet store. They had my baby in a small area in the middle of the store. I picked him up and cuddled him and kept thinking I wanted to take him home. But he was already a big chihuahua and I wanted a small one. I noticed some other chi puppies and went over to look at them. I was told they were too young to adopt out and that their price would be higher than what I'd pay for Shiver.

I walked back over to Shiver and held him some more. The store clerk let me take him into a small room to spend some time with him. Shiver was scared and didn't want a lot to do with me. But I just knew he and I were meant to be so I bought him. And he's been with me ever since!

I was going to call him Avery but on the way home, he just shivered and shivered. So I decdided to name him Shiver and it seems to fit him quite well.

Chico's Story

While I'm not sure why I ever got Shiver, I know exactly why I got Chico! Less than a year after I got Shiver, my other dog passed over the rainbow bridge. Two years later, my sickly kitty passed on as well. That left Shiver. I soon discovered that Shiver HATES to be left alone. I'd come home from work and he would just cry and cry. Even if I left the house for five minutes, he'd cry and cry when I came back in. It became clear to me that he needed another companion.

I wasn't ready to get another cat so I looked for another chihuahua. I asked around and everyone kept suggesting Craig's List. And that's where I found him. I emailed and asked a few questions. It turns out the person who placed the ad was the owner's mother. She told me Chico was a very special dog and that he'd spent his first year of life in a small kennel with little to no human contact. He was only let out to go potty and make babies. She made it clear that if I was interested in him for breeding purposes, the deal was off. I explained that I wanted him as a playmate for my other chi and that I had no intention of using him for breeding. She gave me the phone number for her daughter and son-in-law so I called and made arrangements to pick him up on Thanksgiving weekend.

When I went to get him, he immediately barked at me but then he also came and cuddled and sat on my lap. I'm not sure why I spent so long there but I stayed for about an hour just playing with him. He was already named so I didn't change it, although I do sometimes think about what I would've named him if he hadn't been. And to be honest, I'm really not sure. He's just a little boy and the name fits him.

I asked my boys if they could buy me anything, what would it be and this is what they said:

Shiver said he'd buy me a winning lottery ticket so that I wouldn't have to worry about losing the house or paying my bills.

Chico said he'd get me dog treats. He says that he knows I wouldn't eat them which means I'd give them all to him and Shiver. Silly boy!

Monday, November 22, 2010

When they asked for my address, I thought it was just to send me a Christmas card. Then when I got an email saying to expect a package, I thought it would be a little something for my boys. So imagine my surprise and delight to discover it was all for ME!!!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Yep, it's that time again ~ Half Full Friday! Funny how the rest of the week can drag by oh so slowly yet Friday is always here before I know it. I'm still working on a banner (ok, I haven't really worked on it at all but I want to seem busier than actually I am so I'll just pretend that I have) but I do have a Mr. Linky! I won't even send you away to join me anymore - you can stay right here and it only takes a matter of seconds and the click of a button. So come on, you know you want to!!! Please?!

~I'm happy because...

My computer fixed itself!

I'm all signed up for classes!

I got free samples and coupons at orientation!

I'm feeling a lot better!

I got in on the two free tacos after 2 PM deal that Jack in the Box was offering on Tuesday! "Free" is the only thing in my budget these days.

I got some goodies yesterday from Asa and Booker! I'll show you what I got on Monday.

So what made you happy this week?

*****

Thanks to everyone who joined in the 2010 Christmas Card Exchange. If I've missed sending the master list out to anyone or you had any issues opening it, I truly do apologize. Please let me know and I will do my best to rectify the situation.

Yes, I do realize that these pictures have nothing to do with each other or the rest of the post but I love them both and just felt like posting them.

*****

Earlier this week, my dad took his ancient beagle out for a walk. We're not sure but we think she's at least 14, maybe even older. They were walking along when a big dog suddenly came from out of nowhere and started attacking Angel. She's a sweet old lady with a bad leg and wasn't able to defend herself as well as she might've if she'd been a young pup. It took several minutes for my dad to get this big dog off and away from her. Fortunately, she'll be fine. She has several open wounds/bite marks and will be taking antibiotics to prevent infection. I was very surprised the vet didn't also prescribe any pain pills for her, those owies have got to hurt. I just feel so bad for her because she really is a sweetheart of a dog and the attack was completely unprovoked.

*****

This particular Blog of the Week is one I've been enjoying for awhile now. I even took the time awhile back to read every single post from the beginning to the end.

Martine initially named the blog after Sugar, her bull terrier. Sadly, things didn't work out with Sugar and she was returned to the rescue where she came from. Martine has since gotten two new dogs, Captain and Candy. They are just the cutest little things. Earlier this year, Martine had a beautiful baby boy which she named Pierce.

What makes this blog unique is that it's a Baby Dog Blog. She does a wonderful job of incorporating the dogs and the baby equally. I'm not sure how she finds the time to blog when she's working and has a new baby but she manages to post regularly. Her husband just got a new job so they moved recently as well.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Monday, November 15, 2010

I woke up Thursday morning feeling awful. I had a headache and diarrhea, was light headed and crampy and my hip was acting up. As the day wore on, I just felt worse; my headache had turned into a migraine. I told myself I'd feel better after a good night's sleep.

Friday rolled around and I felt considerably better. My hip was still sore but not like it had been and I was still very light headed but I overall, I felt human again. So off I went to new student orientation.

It's about a 45 minute drive to the campus and after parking, I walked into the Student Union Building. Immediately upon entering, there was a gentleman who asked if I was there for orientation. I told him yes and he instructed me on where I was supposed to go.

It was held on the second floor in the Simplot Ballroom. What nobody bothered to tell me is that there's more than one Simplot Ballroom! I followed the noise, found the right one and felt an immediate mixture of overwhelm and intimidation. There were lines everywhere and didn't seem to be any kind of structure to anything that I could tell. Finally figured out where I was supposed to be and got my paperwork, went from there to having my picture taken for a student ID. I kind of wanted to wander around a little bit more and find out what the other lines were for but I noticed the room we were supposed to be in for the orientation was filling up fast and I didn't want to be left standing. Found a seat somewhere in the middle and listened to a short presentation basically thanking us for choosing their school and telling us what a wonderful 4 years we're going to have.

From there, we went to 2 different breakout sessions of our choice. The first one was just around the corner from where I'd just been. The next one seemed like a mile and a half away - seriously, we walked forever!!! - and was over in a jiffy. It felt like I blinked and we were already moving on.

Back into the original room we went. They separated us by majors at that point and we went into another room in another direction another mile and a half away. I didn't realize it but when you declare a major, they pretty much decide your first year of classes for you. Everyone else already had a schedule. I haven't declared mine officially but for the time being I'm leaning towards Business and Economics. They gave a quick presentation where they discussed the various classes required for that particular major and some of the fields you can work in after graduation. Well, because I didn't declare a major, I didn't have a schedule. I had created my own and needed to have them approve it before registering for classes. They did.

The campus is 113 acres long. That might not seem very big but it's huge when you're walking, have a bad hip and don't feel well. From there, I walked literally from one end of the campus to the other to register for classes. My hip was already sore before I even started so I felt like I was never going to make it. Plus I was still feeling really light headed. Ugh! But I made it and registered for class. Two of the classes were already filled up so I'm on a waiting list for those, the other two I received a confirmation for.

Then it was back to the other end of campus to pick up my student ID. You can't tell I'm wearing any makeup in the picture and I look tired. My eyes are little slits. I'm stuck with it for the next 6 years or I can pay $50.00 to replace it so I've decided it's not so bad... If I don't look at it too closely. The school was offering campus tours in another half hour which I would have loved to joined in on again but I just wasn't up for it. Between my hip and feeling so light headed, I just wanted to go home and lie down for awhile.

Later that evening, I went to a friend's house for beer, homemade pizza and a movie marathon. All in all, not a bad day! I'm just trying not to think about how much college is going to cost me or how I'm going to support myself for the next four years.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Eyegirl has opted to focus solely on her photography blog so she'll no longer be hosting Half Full Friday. I asked if she'd mind if I continued to participate anyways and she suggested I could take over for her. I'm not in the least bit computer savvy so please be patient with me while I try to figure out all the kinks of hosting for anyone who might want to join me. She sent me a banner to use but I wasn't able to save it the way I normally do so I need to figure out how to do that or to make a whole new one.

~I'm happy because...

Today is my new student orientation!

I get to sign up for classes today too! I'm soooooooo excited!!!

I've gotten some new followers recently! Welcome!

A bright red stain came out of my white shirt!

I got some beautiful long stemmed red roses! The place where I volunteer to hand out food to the poor and homeless received a donation of several dozen roses and were giving them away so I snagged some!

We had our first meeting for my other volunteer activity to prepare for next year's big project!

I went to some craft bazaars this week!

*****

Don't forget - today is the last day to send in your information for the 2010 Christmas Card Exchange if you have a pet blog. If you'd like to pawticipate - send your name, blog name, mailing address and email adress to Frankie @ frankiefurter at wildblue dot net if you live east of the Mississippi; Cheryl @ fiestythree at gmail dot com if you live west of the Mississippi and to me @ deedeers30 at hotmail dot com if you live outside of the US.

Once we have everyone's information compiled, it'll be emailed out to all pawticipants on November 19th. Now remember, you don't have to send a card to everyone, you could just send it to the ones you know! For the environmentally conscious, you can also send out e-cards, however, you'll still need to send your information in if you want to be included.

*****

This week's Blog of the Week is a fun one I've been following for awhile now. I noticed she and I were reading several of the same blogs so I checked hers out and have been following ever since.

The name of the blog is pretty self explanatory - she literally seems to be wandering the world! The originator is Typo and when I first discovered her, she was married and living in Cairo, Egypt. She and her husband were going to be moving due to his work and she didn't blog for several months. When she returned to bloggyland, she was divorced and traveling to her heart's content.

Since June, she's been in and around New Zealand, Canada and Australia. What I like is she doesn't just TELL you where she's been , she SHOWS you she's been there. She always includes several pictures but she's very desciptive in her writing and it makes you feel like you're right there with her.

Several years ago, I took a college English 101 course. In that class, I had written a paper about two very different individuals in my life. I described one of them as having a very dull life and only using the black and white crayons in their boxes of life. The other individual lived a very vivid life and used all the colors in his box . That's exactly the way I'd describe Typo!

She's not one to sit in the hotel room, content with checking out the hotel gift shop for a souvenier or two to obtain a sense of the country. She really goes out experiences all that the world has to offer. This is definitely one blog that would be easy to get lost in. Sometimes I'll go back through the archives and not realize I've spent a couple of hours reading already.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

So about 87 years ago, I graduated from high school and went directly to beauty school. The cosmetology course was a year or so long. I stayed with my parents for the first six months and moved to the town where the school was located for the final six months.

I had never lived on my own before and found it difficult to adjust. Shortly after moving to my new home, a neighbor from across the street came over to introduce himself. He invited me and my new roommate to join him and his teenage son for dinner the following evening. That neighbor was Bob.

Maybe a month or so later, Bob's son moved to another state to live with his mom, Bob's ex-wife. Bob was alone and had empty nest syndrome. He just didn't know what to do with himself. He came over a lot and when he wasn't over at my house, he was inviting me to his.

We soon became quite close. He took me out to dinner a lot and to the movies or shopping or sometimes just out for a drive. For the first time in my life, I felt loved. He never once made a move on me, never! He never asked for or expected anything in return other than my friendship. He gave me so much more than I ever gave him. He was interested in ME, he made time for ME, he was always on MY side no matter the situation, he always wanted to know how I felt about things, etc. I had never experienced that before, not even really from my parents. It was all about me.

Eventually, several other roommates moved in to an already crowded house. It was difficult and we often fought. The worse the situation got, the more time I spent with Bob.

Six months passed quickly. Some of the roomates had moved out but I was still at war with the one that remained. Rather than continue to be in that stressful situation, I decided to move back home. Bob had offered to let me live with him in the spare bedroom his son had once used but I opted to move back in with my parents. Sadly, our relationship was never the same after this.

Several months later, Bob met and married a woman rather quickly. They had a son and lived happily ever after, or so I thought! I'd hear from them now and again but not too often. They divorced a few years later.

The ex, whom I had never really gotten to know very well, somehow got my address and mailed me a letter. The letter was quite shocking! I wasn't aware of the divorce or what had led to it. She said that he abused her and their son repeatedly and had even tried to kill her! I had never seen that side of Bob and didn't know what to make of this information so I ignored it. I didn't respond to her and wasn't sure how to get in touch with Bob as she'd said in the letter that she'd retained the house and that he'd moved out. Many months later, she called and left me a voice mail. I was hesitant to call her back but finally did. She told me horror stories of the abuse she'd endured. I didn't know whether to believe her or not. I had never gotten to know her at all and as I said, I'd never seen that side of Bob.

I never heard from her or Bob again. I've thought of him from time to time and wondered if the ex's story was true. I never took the time to track him down and I regret that now! He was there for me at a time in my life when I truly needed someone to take care of me emotionally when I didn't know how to take care of myself. And for that, I will remain forever grateful!

Last week, my mom showed the obituaries and pointed out a name. She asked me, "Is that your Bob?" It was. I didn't cry but it upset me and I've thought about him every day since. A lot of memories have come rushing back and I miss him.

I got a Halloween gingerbread house kit for free! Yes, a Halloween gingerbread house kit!

My friend rented Sex and the City 2 and invited me to watch it with her!

*****

Yesterday I was supposed to have an interview. Everyone seemed to feel kind of sketchy about it because the job site was supposedly in my hometown but I'd have to drive about 75 miles to another town to do the interview because that was their homebase. I was fine with it because I need a job. Until I started asking around and no one seemed to know where this business was in town! But I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt because someone who works at the place I volunteer at knew all about this particular company and what they do. She didn't know where they were located either though. I told myself that maybe they just didn't have the jobsite set up here yet and were in the process of doing that now.

Yesterday morning I volunteered as usual, then came home and took a shower. When I was blow-drying my hair, my phone rang only I didn't hear it. Luckily, I happened to walk into the kitchen for a drink and noticed that my caller ID was flashing. The company I was to interview with had called but didn't leave a message so I called them back. I thought maybe they were just going to confirm my interview with them or something. Seems they'd already hired someone for the job. Why do employers hire someone before they've interviewed all the candidates?! I will never understand that because maybe that next person was they'll interview will be a better fit or have even more experience.

Anyway, at the end of the conversation, she said that because I lived in another town, it wasn't like she could just call me up and have me come in right away. That made me think the job wasn't in town after all but I didn't question her about it. Instead, I questioned myself wondering how I could've missed that the job was actually in the other town. After we hung up, I checked the job posting again and it clearly stated that the job was here!

Just another reminder that if you have a dog blog and want to join the Christmas card exchange, please get your information sent in quickly as the deadline is fast approaching! We'll need your blog URL, email address, snail mail address and all the names you want included. The subject line of your email should be "Christmas card exchange."

If you live westof the Mississippi, email Frankie @ frankiefurter(at)wildblue(dot) net. If you live eastof the Mississippi, email Fiesty Three @ fiestythree(at)gmail(dot)com. If you live OUTSIDE of the US and want to join, email me @ deedeers30(at)hotmail(dot)com. We'll be collecting addresses until November 12th.

If you decide to join in, you don't have to send everyone on the list a card. You can only send one to those you know if you want to. For those who are environmentally conscious, you don't have to send out an actual card -- an e-card will do! However, you'll still need to send all of your information in order to be included.

Once we've collected the addresses, an email will be sent out to everyone on Nov. 19th. This will allow everyone ample time to prepare for Christmas delivery. Keep in mind too, if you're sending anything outside of the US, it'll take longer to be delivered.

We've received the official word that DWB will not be hosting the Christmas card exchange this year so please send out a HUGE thank you to Cheryl at Fiesty Three for continuing the tradition!

*****

No Blog of the Week this week, sorry! I had planned to use Eyegirl's blog but due to personal circumstances, she opted to make her blog private. I would hate to tell you all about her fabulosity and then you not be able to access her blog. I was too lazy busy to look for another blog to use so I'll be back next week with a different one.